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DETROIT – Flood waters from the ongoing deluge in Midland County have mixed with containment ponds at the vast Dow chemical plant in Midland, the company announced Wednesday.

The potential hazards were not immediately clear. The situation continued to unfold Wednesday afternoon and authorities said that flood waters were not expected to peak until about 9 p.m.

The announcement raised concerns among residents and environmentalists about potential widespread toxic contamination of the already hard-hit area, which is coping with the evacuation of thousands of residents at the same time as the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a news conference that she is in contact with Dow officials. The company's chemical plant has been closed since Tuesday.

"I know they have extensive flood plans that they started executing," the governor said. “At this juncture, the plan is working, and they’ve been able to save any real damage from happening.”

Dow announced on its Twitter page that flood waters began "commingling with on-site containment ponds" at the Midland plant at about 10 a.m. The company immediately partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to activate emergency flood preparedness plans.

Dow officials did not say the types of chemicals that may have mixed and spilled with the flood waters.

"Only essential staff are onsite to monitor and manage the situation with no reported employee injuries," the announcement said.

Dow Inc. is among the largest chemical companies in the world, and is headquartered in Midland, where it has operated since 1897.

It has manufactured over 1,000 organic and inorganic chemicals at its Midland plant over the years, including major production of herbicides and pesticides.

The Environmental Protection Agency concluded in the 1980s that waste runoff from the plant was a significant source of the highly toxic chemical dioxin into the Tittabawassee River. Exacerbating the situation, record floods in 1986 caused Dow's wastewater system to overflow into the Tittabawassee upstream from the floodplain.

Dioxin exposure can potentially cause cancer and other adverse health effects, such as birth defects, learning disabilities and miscarriages.

"If this flooding does what it's anticipated to do, the legacy from Dow's dioxin will become much more widespread and much more prominent in people's everyday lives," said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the nonprofit Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Last November, Dow agreed to fund environmental restoration projects worth an estimated $77 million to compensate for decades of pollution by the plant, the Associated Press reported.

Catastrophic flooding is a culmination of bad decisions and a lack of preparation, "knowing we are dealing with more and more severe storm systems linked to our changing climate," Wozniak said.

A man walks along a levee as floodwaters rise on June 7, 2019 in Grafton, Ill. Residents along Mississippi river are bracing for the expected arrival of the crest at near record levels on Friday. Michael B. Thomas, Getty Images

Flooding from the Mississippi River inundates a neighborhood on June 7, 2019 in Grafton, Ill. Residents along Mississippi river are bracing for the expected arrival of the crest at near record levels on Friday. Michael B. Thomas, Getty Images

Ducks pass a submerged car in the flooded parking lot of the Cedar Creek Lodge apartments as water from the River des Peres continues to rise on Thursday, June 6, 2019 in St. Louis. Robert Cohen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Floodwaters from a swollen Mississippi River take over the Gateway Arch grounds on June 6, 2019 in St Louis, Mo. Residents along the Mississippi River are bracing for the expected arrival of the crest at near-record levels on Friday. Michael B. Thomas, Getty Images

Oklahoma City firefighters rescue a woman who climbed to the roof of her car as waters on S. May Avenue rose during heavy rain Thursday, June 6, 2019. City officials say around 600 Tulsa County homes and business were inundated during last week's historic flooding along the swollen Arkansas River. Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman via AP

Kevin Jones, right, assistant chief of the Prairie du Rocher Volunteer Fire Department catches a sandbag from firefighter Devin Godier as he joins Sean Koch, left, to add sandbags to a sand boil seeping through the Prairie du Rocher Levee along the Mississippi River on Thursday, June 6, 2019 in St. Loius. Boils happen when water seeps through weak spots in the levee, compromising its structural integrity. Jones said they are working with dozens of boils near the village of about 700 people, adding sandbags and barrels to equalize the water pressure. Robert Cohen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

A road is seen submerged in floodwaters on June 6, 2019 in Grafton, Ill. Residents along Mississippi river are bracing for the expected arrival of the crest at near record levels on Friday. Michael B. Thomas, Getty Images

Mississippi River flood water surrounds a home built on high ground outside of West Alton, Mo., during historic flooding on the river on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Mississippi River flows over the breached Pin Oak levee flooding homes and buildings in Winfield during historic flooding on the river on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 in Winfield, Mo. David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

This aerial photo shows flooding along the Arkansas River in Pine Bluff, Ark., Tuesday, June 4, 2019. The economically struggling Arkansas city in the midst of a revitalization plan continued flooding Tuesday as the Arkansas River crested its banks, but local officials said even after the waters recede, the community's resilience will bolster recovery. DroneBase via AP

Austin Schiff pedals past a vehicle stranded in flooded water near Lakeville North High School in Lakeville, Minn., after heavy rain early Tuesday evening, June 4, 2019. Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune via AP

A tow truck operator carries a cable to hook up to one of the vehicles stranded in flooded water near Lakeville North High School in Lakeville, Minn., Tuesday, June 4, 2019, after heavy rain. Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune via AP

In this Tuesday, June 4, 2019 photo, Doug Elley rows his canoe through floodwaters down the center of town in Lupus, Mo. Elley is a former mayor of the town. He now owns and manages the Lupus General Store. Elley and other central Missourians see the recent floods as reminiscent of the Great Flood of 1993. "There might be less water," he said. "But it's the same feeling as '93." Armond Feffer, Missourian via AP

Emily Kientzel empties the water out of her grandmother Joan FitzGerald's boot that filled with floodwater from the Mississippi River, as they check on the home of a friend outside of Portage des Sioux, Mo., Sunday, June 2, 2019. The pair are standing on the second story balcony of the home that has more than a foot of water in it. David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Steve Schade looks over Mississippi River floodwater that fills the second floor of his home outside of Portage des Sioux, Mo., Sunday, June 2, 2019. Schade's home is on the banks of the Mississippi River and while the first floor of his "clubhouse" had regularly flooded, this is the first time the second story of his home, where his living space is, has flooded since he bought the place in 2004. David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Water from the Mississippi River floods Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, Saturday, June 1, 2019, in St. Louis. The Mississippi River is expected to rise several more feet by midweek. David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Rick Milner, right, offers a beer to neighbors helping him to sandbag his home as floodwater from the Mississippi River continues to rise on June 1, 2019 in Old Monroe, Mo. The middle-section of the country has been experiencing major flooding since mid-March especially along the Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. Towns along the Mississippi River have been experiencing the longest stretch of major flooding from the river in nearly a century. Scott Olson, Getty Images